CARTAGENA

What warms the soul in Cartagena, Colombia.

In addition to the sun, the people in Cartagena warm you with their kindness and responsiveness. They tell me about adaptation. And to be honest, I almost didn’t have it. Personally, my difficulties are associated entirely with health and finances. But the first, thank God, no longer torments me as before. And the second does not depend on the country of residence. If you do not count the problems at the initial stage of trying to build a business due to the irresponsibility of certain people who let me down a lot. I lost a lot of time and money while I believed in the work of others more than in my own strength. But I think it is worth writing a separate post about this, not related to Colombia.

What I can note, based on my personal experience of staying in the country for a little over a year, is that, in my opinion, the people here are pleasant, moderately open and sociable. They can screw up. But they still correct themselves later and try to meet you halfway. Of course, as everywhere, people are different. You shouldn't expect the same thing from everyone. But nevertheless, you can come to an agreement. I remember an unpleasant story happened at the bank, although it was not my fault, but they could have brushed me off, and then look for someone to blame. But they did not abandon me and even outside of working hours they resolved my issue. I don't think they would have done this in any other country. A person who saw me only once, helped me move, showed me the sights of the city. Of course, it all depends on the individual. But after all, we are talking about Colombians now. After all, there is mutual assistance. Well, what suits me best in the local mentality is that I can be myself. I do not need to pretend to be someone else, adjust, keep quiet so that they do not think too much, or carefully choose my words so that they perceive me correctly. In Europe, I do not feel such freedom as here. I am happy that there are fruits all year round. I tried papaya for the first time here. Now it is my favorite fruit. I also like that for me, a person with a bunch of allergies, there was sugar-free bread. Or rather, several types of it, with different additives, raisins, grapes, etc. This is also important to me, because I am deprived of the opportunity to eat sugar, chocolate and many other things. Here they even have sugar-free sausages. I have never seen them in Europe. As for restaurants, cafes and other things. Everything is very decent. The interior is always pleasing to the eye. Many interesting establishments. As for me, the food is tasty at reasonable prices. In general, I like Colombian cuisine. Although, of course, if we are talking about ready-made food in supermarkets, then they are far from Ukraine. Still, we have a much wider selection and the quality of execution is higher. Sorry, Colombians. But home-cooked food is very tasty. That's what is also important to me as a night owl, so that everything works until late. Hehe. Or better yet, around the clock. That's how it happens here. But, unfortunately, not everywhere. But in the best areas. That's why I live where everything is at hand. In my case, it's a 10-15 minute walk to 24-hour supermarkets, pharmacies start right under the house and stretch for kilometers. Several bank branches are also a minute's walk away. Well, what's there to hide. I live near the beach. It's also a couple of minutes away. But let me remind you that although Cartagena is not a small city, for me it consists of 4-5 districts. Beautiful embankments, convenient infrastructure, safety and no unnecessary fuss. They seem to sing, do not sleep. But for some reason they do not interfere. Somehow everything is within reason. Oh yeah, I completely forgot to mention a small detail, a plus purely for me. A trifle, as they say, but nice. All the cashiers, sellers are my buddies. They already know better than me what I need to buy, how to pack. I can tell everyone the story of my life in a minute. No one will judge. With strangers, you can discuss several problems at once. No one will be surprised. But also, of course, within reason. I wouldn't say that people here are very emotional and talkative. This is also, in my opinion, another myth about Latin Americans in general. It's more like me. And they just love me. And I love them. Colombia greeted me quite warmly. And it still remains friendly, not counting individual episodes. But my story is still complicated. And even very complicated. It's just that all this has nothing to do with Colombia.

About clothes. They wear what they want. But for the most part, in the 50-degree heat on the streets of Cartagena, you can see men and women in jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. I will definitely never adapt to this extent. After several years of the below-the-knee dresses that I had become accustomed to over the years of living in Egypt, I began to switch back to short shorts. I didn't expect this from myself. I even prayed that I wouldn't overdo it. Because I just want to undress. But it's sooooo hot here. However, in a nutshell, about 4-5 months of stuffiness. It's better not to drag yourself around in the scorching sun during the day. And not to get caught in the rain. And the rest of the time is heaven on Earth. This is simply heavenly, as for me, weather, a flawless summer with a light, pleasant, cool breeze. At least I can wear decent shoes. Because otherwise, flip-flops are an integral part of my wardrobe.

I would like to point out a fact that struck me. Education. Families that can afford to give their children a good education will not regret it. I talked to 13-year-old girls. They speak English almost as if it were their native language. And a second language to boot. Common practice.

US visas. Since this is a sore point for me, I cannot help but pay attention to this point too. Maybe I am wrong, but in my opinion, Colombians are issued visas to America quite easily.

And I will finish not the story about Colombia as a whole, but only this post, by mentioning the beautiful historical center of Cartagena. During the Spanish colonization, miniature streets were built, with unique houses each in its own way. Lord, it is really beautiful here! The flavor of a bygone era is still felt. And although horse-drawn carriages look desperately romantic, especially in the evening and at night, I feel so sorry for the horses.

By the way, the city center is also quite safe. At least, I haven't had any incidents in a year. Although I have heard of at least one unpleasant case. Be that as it may, outside of the prosperous neighborhoods, it is better to hide deep and far away any attributes, including mobile phones, that attract the attention of bad people.

In the next post, I will probably tell you about the disadvantages of Cartagena that catch my eye. But there are not many of them. Therefore, I am waiting for your comments with suggestions on what to chat about.

P.S. Yesterday I published a post. Today I went outside. To my surprise, it wasn't that hot. And there was a nice breeze. And when the sun went down, there was nothing to complain about. The thing is that the rainy season has just started, but it doesn't rain for long and for some reason only at night.))) Of course, it's stuffy in the apartment without at least a fan. But it's wonderful outside. Maybe there was an anomaly with high humidity last year? I asked my friend, a Colombian, and she says it varies. So, WELCOME TO CARTAGENA!